STAYED TUNED

New blogs coming soon.

The wormhole

So I just finished watching Into the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.  If you have not watched it, its a pretty interesting TV show about the universe.  This time around, they talked about the possibility of life elsewhere outside earth.  Being a Christian, I believe in Creationism.  I believe we were created by GOD and not some cosmic accident. With that said, lets play a little game called suppose.


Suppose that life on earth has evolved into what it is today.  We are a cosmic accident.  The facts are that the building blocks of life are floating around in space just waiting for them to hit each other and then find a planet that will sustain life.  The odds are zillions and zillions to one.  The universe is a never ending place.  That's really hard for us to get our finite  minds around. Think of it this way.  Our solar system is the size of a particle of a grain of sand of all the sand on our planet.  Not a whole grain but a particle of a grain of sand.  Now there is another particle of a grain of sand floating around (actually about a million of them) that need to connect all together and land on another particle of a grain of sand just to create an atom that would create the chance for life's evolution. 


The universe has been around for billions of years....well, forever.  Our solar system may be young in comparison and even that, scientist really don't know the true age of our solar system.  So suppose that we did evolve from something floating around in the water.  That took billions of years also.  IF there were life on another planet somewhere out in that universe, it could be that it is in its infant stages.  Life elsewhere could be a simple single cell organism that has not yet evolved and, perhaps, never will. 


Lets face it.  To sustain life, everything has to work in perfect conjunction with each other.  Too hot of cold or too much water or not enough and its over.  If even one small detail changes, life ends.  Couple those incredible odds with the odds of those particles of life connecting to each other in the universe somewhere AND finding a planet that will sustain life somewhere and we are talking maybe a 1.0 in a 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000,000,000.00 chance.  For my money, those are pretty long odds and my math may be off by zillions and zillions.


Have no doubt, it could happen but if you think about  it, the sheer volume of chance it would take, we are lucky as humans, and life in general, to have made it past the amoeba stage.  Listen, the universe is very, very large.  We have explored maybe less than 1/1 kabillionzilliontrillionith of it.  Let me break it down for you.  If light travels at 186282 miles per second.  (and that is transparent light not refractive or visible light)  So at 186282 miles per second, it takes 20000 light years just to see Denebs (a star 60,000 times brighter than our sun) light.  That's a lot of time and universe which equates to a lot of space for those little particles of grains of sand to find each other to create something that would create life...


So what does all this mean.  Is there alien life?  Well, with all the odds and chances involved, I would say no.  You had better hit your knees and start praying for forgiveness.  God is merciful and has shown his grace and will forgive you.  BUT....lets just say there is life elsewhere, it is not as advanced as ours and is just a living organism...maybe.  Pretty sad to think we are the smartest beings in the known and unknown universe huh?


Sorry Mr. Freeman.  The odds are just to great to back your theories.

Weekend Plans

Whoooo Hooooo. The 3 day weekend is here.  Man I am looking forward to this.  So much to do and so little time.  The plan was to go to Devils Chasm in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness but it is supposed to rain and snow all weekend which could put a damper on that plan.  I may still go but know this, I have been back there before and it is not an easy trip to get to the trail head.  You have to cross several creeks.....including this one..... and with the coming rain and snow, they should be pretty full and running fast.  I like a challenge though.  Its pretty much 4x4 roads to get back to the trail head.

Once your at the trail head, its a 2 mile hike back to the base of the ruins which date back to approx. 1400ad if memory serves correct.  Its up on a cliff so climbing skills is a must.  Here's a internet photo of the rewards though.



and the trail that gets you there.....if you can call it a trail


so none-the-less.  Lots of rain, impassable roads, extreme hiking in possible snow, cold conditions, an overgrown "trail",  rock climbing in bad weather and me taking no gear except a butter knife.  Sounds like a great weekend to me.  If you never hear another blog again, send someone to find my body.

Now on Sunday I have church.  I am very excited about it too.  I love our church and our pastor does an excellent job of making a lot of deep sense of the bible.  Monday I have a DR. appt.  annual physical.  I just had one is September so really this is to get some cholesterol meds to lower that bad boy.  I am on a quest to lose weight and get my heart back in shape for the upcoming warrior dash in April.

Coyotes again

Although I just posted about the Coyotes a few days ago, it is worth mentioning that they pulled out a nice win last night.  Man this team is playing hard.  They are having a little trouble moving the puck out of their zone when pressured but they are scoring when it counts.  They beat the Capitals 3-2 and regulation to take over 1st place in the pacific division. 

With an overall record of 30-19 and 69 points in their division, the Coyotes are on a 5 game win streak and are giving the fans what they deserve.  They have had 9 overtime games this season which is tied for the most in the league.

TEDS HOTDOGS

Who doesn't love a good hot-dog?  Hot-dogs are the American way.  Served at ballparks, back yards and camping trips everywhere.  The problem lies in that there are very, very few places where you can get a decent hotdog.  Enter Teds Hotdogs in Tempe, AZ.


Now I am not sure why it is that Teds Hotdogs are so good.  Perhaps its the way they cook them on a grill and poke and prod them with a big pointy fork.  Maybe its the actual meat they use.  Could be that they serve them with a smile so the taste is an illusion.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  Teds hotdogs serves the best hotdog in the state as far as I am concerned.


So Saturday, after doing a bit of thrift storing, my wife and I decide to stop into teds for a dog or maybe a Polish dog.  The line is long.  I mean out the back door long.  We stood in line.  Who stands in line for 30 mins for a hotdog?  Anyone who wants the best.  Maybe thats the appeal of Teds.  They have a hotdog so good that your willing to stand in line for 30 mins to get one.  the only other place I will wait 30 mins for anything is my doctors office and thats only because he is the best doctor in town bar none.  (I have a Dr. appt later this month so look for a review on that also)


Kathy ordered an all beef dog with ketchup, turd, and relish, I had a foot long (which I could not finish) with chili, onion, tud, ketchup and a pickle.  We split a onion ring and cheese and a drink.  Man oh man, what a great lunch. 


Teds started in upstate NY a long time ago and, to this day, fly in their hotdogs from there.  Their onion rings are not the individual crispy sort but are lumped together in a wad that you have to pick each on out of the pile.  I love their onion rings.  .25 is the price of a refill.  Not bad considering.



So if your looking for a great lunch, albeit not a cheap lunch, go to Teds hotdogs in Tempe, Az and have your fill of the best hotsog in town.

TEDS HOTDOGS

WHo is Am

Valentines Day

Simple....made up holiday.  End of post

Storage auctions/wars

Well, I have hit the bandwagon, which is rare for me as I am not a bandwagon jumper.  The beautiful part is I am off the bandwagon already.  Its only been 2 auctions.   What am I talking about?  Storage Auctions.Storage Auctions are when someone does not pay their storage bill at a place where they rent a storage unit and the Storage facility sells off the unit is a bidding war.  This has become very popular since the airing of "Storage Wars" on the A&E Network. 

Here's the basics.  You go to an storage place that has advertised an auction.  Look at the unit and determine how much, if any, you want to bid.  after everyone has looked at the unit, an auctioneer starts the bidding and the unit goes to the high bidder.  When looking at the unit for auction, your not allowed to enter the unit or touch anything so alot of it is guess work.Here's the rub.  At the 2 auctions I have been to, there have been 200+ people in attendance.  200 People.  Thats alot of potential bidders.  I have seen a 5 x 5 unit with two boxes and a bag of shoes go for $130.00.  The person who won it must have seen a brick of gold I did not see.  Yes its all speculation but for $130.00, just go to the casino and put it on black cause you ave a better shot at making money than turning the units I have seen.  The promise of a quick buck can be enticing.

 The fun part of the auction is watching the other people.  I may go to a few more just to watch the people talk in hushed whispers, try to out bid people and drive up prices.  It's actually amusing.  Alot of these people must think there are hidden TV cameras filming them as they act like its life and death.  

 Then you have the "whales".  Whales are people with alot of money who can get the unit if they really want it.  The problem is whales are also smart and know what a unit is worth so they seldom win a unit.  The best part about whale watching is to make fun of them.  They talk very loud and act like they are the best thing since sliced bread.  Just go to an auction and watch, the whales will make themselves known very quickly.  "Well, we used to do this and that and I got this unit for xxx amount and it had all kinds of valuable stuff in it"  This is a very common thread amongst whales.  Of course forget thet 20% of the units will give you 80% of the dollars.  To hear a whale talk, one would think they have never made a bad bid in their life and that every unit they ever won turned them a 500% profit.Seriously.  Go to an auction and people watch.  Its free and amusing.

Heat and the Arizona way

Arizona.  Land of beautiful sunsets, stunning deserts and the Grand Canyon.  So what does this state have to offer?  Well, where do I start?  Of course every state has its fine points.  We have lots of land to roam around, different climates no matter the time of year, wonderful places to eat out and once you get out of the city, we even have some nice people in this state.  So where is the problem?
Well, Arizona has an image of the wild west.  People can carry guns whenever and whereever they want.  This is not a bad thing, the bad part starts when you have people wanting to control those who do carry, or sometimes with the people who do carry not being responsble when they are.   For the record, I do not carry a gun, heck, I don't even own a handgun nor do I have the desire to.  Still though, its called the 2nd admendment for a reason.  Part of the big reason Arizona has issues is because our State Senate cannot keep their noses out of the people business.  The people in AZ will vote in a law (use SB 1070 as an example) and the next thing happening is its being tested in court.  I am of the opinion that once the people speak, they have spoken.  Let it be or risk not getting reelected.
OK, OK, I am not going to make this a long political rant because for the most part, they do an ok job.  (nor am I going to make this about gun control)  Moving on...the people who live in the city, namely the Valley of the Sun, care about one thing and one thing only...themselves.  People here, with few exceptions, will drive right by when you need assistance on the road with a flat tire.  They will look the other way when someone needs help with pretty much anything.  Yeah, its this way in most big cities and thats why most big cities have major issues, just like Arizona.  There is just no sense of community here.
Well what about the Grand Canyon?  The Parks and recreation?  The great outdoors?  Arizona does have some great recreational activities going for it.  The Grand Canyon is grand to say the least and is a major attraction.  Theres lots and lots of land to explore and old ruins to see.  We have some great mountains, awsome hiking, skiing in the winter, sports teams, etc..etc..all this is great if you want to spend your time in 115 degree heat all summer.  Arizona averages 100 degree days on May 13th each year and those hot days have come as early as March 26th and stayed as late as October 23rd.  Thats alot of heat and those are 100 degree days, not 99 degree days.  Trust me when I say it doesn't go from 100 to 70 overnight.  Arizona AVERAGES 106 days a year of over 100 degrees according to the National Weather Service.  Thats 3.5 months of stupid heat.  (included in the heat is 110 degree days, 115 degree days and sometimes 120 degree days)  Now you will hear its a dry heat.  Yeah, so is your oven, so go stick your head in a 115 degree oven for 6 hours to get an idea of the heat here.
Glad your still reading.  The people here tend to be band-wagon jumpers.  Because AZ is such a metling pot of different communities from around the nation, people have different ideas of what community means.  Mostly its just people looking out for themselves.  Now this is not always the case.  There are some people who are genuinly interested in others well being.  If there were not, we would not have all the homeless shelters, animal shelters and other community places wheres people can get help.  So there is a small bright side to living here. 
So why do I stay here you may be asking yourself?  Why don't you just move some place else?  Well, this is my home state.  I love Arizona and I want to see it be successful.  Yes, we have our issues but those are thing s that we can work through.  Arizona has the potential to be the most successful state in the U.S. We could be a power house economically and socially, we just need to get a sense of community and decide to do what is right for our State as a whole, not for specific individuals.  Get ahold of the growing crime and drug problem.  Balance the budget and stop cutting the budget for parks and recreation.  There are plenty of special issue groups that could raise money without using our tax dollars.  Of course, the politicians also want their share and owe favors to those how paid for them to get elected but thats a topic for another day.
End of rant.

Killing Coyotes...and other

Cast Iron Pots and Pans

What is it about cooking in cast iron that makes food taste so good?  If you cook a roast in a crock pot or a roaster or the oven, its one taste and usually pretty good, but throw that same roast in a cast iron pot and slow cook it and bam....now we are talking some serious comfort food. 
Is it the heat rentention?  Cast iron retains heat and disperses it evenly through-out the pan for more even cooking.  Think of it this way, your roast will no longer be done uneven.  It could be the seasoning that is within the pan itself.  Cast Iron needs to be seasoned before use.  Some come already pre-seasoned but really, you should season it anyways.  To do this, just take some lard and melt it in the pan to be seasoned.  Once the lard is melted, take a paper towel and spread the lard through out the whole pan covering every inch then put it in the oven for a few hours to cooking to the pan.  Keep in mind, the more you cook with a cast iron pot or pan, the better it becomes..  It won't stick once seasoned properly and the food just taste better.
I watched a cooking show once about the best way to cook a steak.  Here in America we think a grill is the only way to go and there is some merit to that but for a really great steak, throw that peice of meat in a cast iron pan with a bit of butter, season with salt and pepper and fry away.  Try to only flip the meat once for a better, more consistent fry.
I have to admit I don't know alot about cooking with cast iron but it is something I would like to learn more about.  If you have any tips, feel free to post them here.